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The Rediscovery of Roman Baths in Eighteenth-Century Britain

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The Rediscovery of Roman Baths in Eighteenth-Century Britain This is a repository copy of An Elusive Legacy: The Rediscovery of Roman Baths in Eighteenth-Century Britain. White Rose Research Online URL for this paper: http://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/140325/ Version: Accepted Version Article: Savani, G orcid.org/0000-0002-8076-9535 (2019) An Elusive Legacy: The Rediscovery of Roman Baths in Eighteenth-Century Britain. Britannia, 50. pp. 13-48. ISSN 0068-113X https://doi.org/10.1017/S0068113X19000023 © The Author(s) 2019. Published by The Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies.This article has been published in a revised form in Britannia https://doi.org/10.1017/S0068113X19000023. This version is free to view and download for private research and study only. Not for re-distribution, re-sale or use in derivative works. Reuse Items deposited in White Rose Research Online are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved unless indicated otherwise. They may be downloaded and/or printed for private study, or other acts as permitted by national copyright laws. The publisher or other rights holders may allow further reproduction and re-use of the full text version. This is indicated by the licence information on the White Rose Research Online record for the item. Takedown If you consider content in White Rose Research Online to be in breach of UK law, please notify us by emailing [email protected] including the URL of the record and the reason for the withdrawal request. [email protected] https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/ An Elusive Legacy: The Rediscovery of Roman Baths in Eighteenth-Century Britain By GIACOMO SAVANI ABSTRACT In this paper, I investigate how eighteenth-century antiquarians engaged with the remains of Roman bath buildings in Britain and discuss their multifaceted attitude towards the ancient practice of bathing, with a focus on the city of Bath. I also examine the interests and priorities of Georgian scholars in studying Roman baths and their structure, highlighting their sometimes uncritical use of classical sources and tracking the origins of their misconceptions regarding the components and function of these facilities. Finally, I briefly address the elusive socio-cultural legacy of Roman baths and bathing in eighteenth-century Britain, stressing influences and differences in practice and architecture. Keywords: Romano-British baths; antiquarianism; early archaeological illustrations; eighteenth-century Britain. INTRODUCTION Taste, social status, ideology, and political agendas have all had a profound impact on the way different historical periods have looked at the classical world;1 eighteenth-century Britain is no exception. Since the official establishment of the Society of Antiquaries of London in 1718, a time when the study of British past was perceived as ‘a means of consolidating political stability’ after the turbulence of the Hanoverian succession,2 the study of Roman antiquities in Britain underwent several shifts in aims and focus. Some of these trends have been reviewed in detail, such as the adoption of Roman ideals in eighteenth- century English culture.3 Rosemary Sweet’s excellent overview of the achievements of eighteenth-century antiquarians has a substantial section dedicated to the study of Roman Britain,4 while Richard Hingley has investigated the legacy of these early Romanists in terms of research priorities and theoretical frameworks, with a focus on the problematic Romanisation paradigm.5 At the same time, figures of particular relevance for the history of Romano-British archaeology such as William Stukeley6 and Samuel Lysons7 have also attracted scholarly interest. 1 However, while attention has been paid to the influence of classical art and architecture8 and to the changing perceptions of Romano-British antiquities during this period,9 very little has been written so far about the attitude that Georgian antiquarians had towards one of the most distinct and widespread types of Roman buildings, i.e. public, military, and private baths. Similarly, the possible connections between ancient facilities and eighteenth-century baths and bathing have been so far neglected. The aim of this paper is therefore to address some of these under-studied aspects of the complex interactions between eighteenth-century antiquarians and the Roman past. The city of Bath, where the rediscovery of Roman antiquities coincided with the acme of Georgian urban redevelopment, is the ideal starting point for this investigation. Drawing on contemporary reports of excavations, I shall examine how antiquarians engaged with the remains of bath buildings in Britain more broadly, highlighting their sometimes uncritical use of classical sources and tracking the origins of their misconceptions regarding the components and functioning of these facilities. Finally, this overview will allow me to trace the elusive legacies of Roman baths in eighteenth-century Britain, stressing influences and differences in practice and architecture. AN AMBIGUOUS HERITAGE During the eighteenth century, when Roman civic ideals were widely adopted by the British aristocracy, the ‘rediscovery’ of Roman Britain was seen as a crucial step in the process of restoring Roman virtues.10 Towns with Roman origins were celebrated for their glorious past, and antiquarians across the country were keen to increase the prestige of their rural communities through the discovery of Roman antiquities.11 Major foci of antiquarian investigation during this period were the road system created by Rome in Britain and the remains of her military presence.12 On the other hand, particularly during the first half of the century, evidence of civilian activities was rarely considered and usually misinterpreted, as in the case of domestic mosaic floors erroneously associated with military camps at Stonesfield (Oxon)13 and Wellow (Somerset).14 Furthermore, the relationship between eighteenth-century scholars and Romano-British antiquities was an ambiguous one. While the latter was seen as tangible evidence of the illustrious past of the country within the Roman Empire, their ‘lower’ quality in comparison with continental remains15 made them less appealing and worthy of investigation.16 Roman Bath is emblematic in this sense, since the baths and hypocausts unearthed there in 1755 during the demolition of a house (the Abbey House) were barely commented upon by the antiquarian world17 and a contemporary German visitor described them as ‘built of bricks, without any great art or science’.18 2 At a local level, however, the impact of these discoveries was far more significant. The New Bath Guide19 gives an enthusiastic description of these structures: it reports that ‘a very valuable Piece of Antiquity’ had been discovered, including the ‘Remains of very noble Roman Baths and Sudatories, constructed upon their elegant Plans, with Floors suspended upon square Brick Pillars, and surrounded with tabulated Bricks, for the equal Conveyance of Heat and Vigour (…)’. In line with the prevalent military-style interpretation of Romano- British archaeology at the time, the author identifies the site as a station and praises the ‘Roman Soldiery’ that ‘entertained higher Ideas of the Conveniency, Elegance, and Use of Baths than the settled and opulent Inhabitants of Great-Britain ever proposed to themselves’.20 After the discovery, the Duke of Kingston, the owner of the land, had the springs that supplied these ancient facilities ‘cleared from the Rubbish’ and ‘the several ancient Sewers for carrying the Water from the Baths repaired’.21 He then ‘built on the same Spot several Baths and Sudatories upon an entire new Plan, which will be a great Advantage for the Public’.22 Seven structures, the Kingston Baths, were designed by Thomas Jelly, a local builder, and erected in this area during 1763–66. They were demolished a decade or so later, when the great Roman Bath was exposed.23 Since no contemporary representation of them seems to have survived, very little can be said about their appearance. However, at least in the eyes of the author of the Guide, Kingston’s investment was intended to create some form of continuity with the Roman past. At the time of these discoveries, Bath was changing quickly, forced to renovate itself to keep pace with the new spa establishments appearing all over the country and with the expectations of the growing clientele.24 The impact that these interventions had on the archaeology of the city and on the study of its Roman past will be briefly discussed in the next section, with an emphasis on the role played by John Wood the Elder (1704–1754), and his son John Wood the Younger (1728–1782), two of the most influential figures in the construction of the Georgian city. ARCHITECTS AND ANTIQUARIANS Wood the Elder started working in Bath in 1727 when he was only 23, completing the rebuilding of St John’s Hospital initiated by William Killigrew in 1716.25 In his later work An Essay Towards a Description of Bath,26 he claims that already in 1725 he had begun to turn his ‘Thoughts towards an Improvement of the City by Building’.27 His design was majestic in intent: he wanted to create a replica of a Roman city, with ‘a grand Place of Assembly, to be called the Royal Forum of Bath’, a Grand Circus and a Gymnasium, ‘from a Work of that 3 Kind, taking its Rise at first in Bath, during the Time of the Roman Emperors’.28 While Wood appeared keen to revive classical architecture, his relationship with the Roman past of the city was ambiguous. According to his fanciful historical reconstruction, inspired by Geoffrey of
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